Jody Wynn, the women’s basketball coach, comes out of the home locker room staring at the box score of the latest game like a doctor checking X-rays of a patient, the status of said patient – thriving from the field or deeply ill on the boards – showing on a face that is never stoic.

And then their children, 9-year-old Jada and 6-year-old Kaeli, will come bounding into the scene like two lion cubs in a Disney movie, all gregarious energy as they latch on to one parent or the other, or both, and start nattering away about everything from some upcoming event to Jada’s growing interest in basketball.

Regardless of how the team performed, the X-rays are put down and mother and father make a fast break transition from coaches to parents.

Her players eventually leave the locker room and join the family picture, playing with the kids, and a large support group of family members and friends meld in to the frame. In the blink of an eye, it’s easy to see this warm tableau playing out no matter where the Wynn family, four-pack or extended.

Yes, this is a family.

***

There have always been popular coaches at Long Beach State, but few have become as synonymous with the campus family identity as the Wynns.

When Jody and Derek became parents for the first time, then at USC where they were assistant coaches, they found a way to handle being parents of a newborn and do their jobs at the same time – they simply bought a portable crib, set it up at practices, and deposited Jada.

Their life at Long Beach State is a constant tag team of duties, from coaching to coordinating plans for kiddie pickup to deciding who gets to cook that night.

“There are nights that we fall asleep together,’’ Jody said, “with open laptops and Kaeli’s toys spread out on the bed.

“I wouldn’t want to do something without my kids. At the end of the day, I can’t wait to see my girls, so we’ll always sacrifice a date night for a family night.”

Last week, with three games in five days and serving as host for the Beach Classic, the Wynns fell behind in Christmas prep. The tree was up but without any lights.

“Jada said, ‘Mom, it’s okay if we don’t have lights this year.’

“I can remember begging my parent’s to put lights up,’’ Jody said.

“We’re raising two daughters in a healthy environment. There’s no better place than a college campus to raise two kids and show them the benefits of a college education.’’

“I go on the road recruiting,’’ Derek said, “and other coaches ask how we do it – not just (spouses) coaching together but raising kids at the same time. But then I meet a lot of parents of recruits who love the fact that we’re providing a good foundation and family atmosphere.’’

***

The athletic skills of the young Jody Anton were present pretty early. Her mom was a scratch amateur golfer and her dad a sports nut who organized an annual all-star football game. She sampled a lot of sports early – none of them basketball – and was originally on track for a swimming career.

She had an Olympic-caliber coach with the Anaheim Aquatics Assn. and was once ranked as a top-flight junior in the butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle. She played water polo and was invited to try out for the U.S. national youth program.

She had her mom’s golf skills, was the MVP of a Brea youth soccer and competed in Jesse Owens youth track meets, standout in the high jump.

Jody was so committed to the swimming that she was doing double-days training. Then she joined the Brea Police Athletic League basketball program, met Mark Trakh, the basketball coach at Brea Olinda High, and went to one of his summer camps.

“I quit swimming with the drop of a hat,’’ Jody Wynn said. “I woke up one morning and said, ‘Mom, dad, I don’t want to swim anymore.’ There was something about playing basketball that the other sports didn’t offer.’’

Once she got the basketball bug, she asked her parents if they could pave the driveway so she could practice more.

Her parents were quintessential sports parents in that they supported her choices and desires, and the antithesis in terms of nudging them.

“They were so encouraging. They didn’t ever push me,’’ she said. “They weren’t parents who said I had to practice all the time. I never had to come home and watch film with my dad. I could have played the worst game of my life and my mom would have said, ‘Great job.’

“But they made it all available. I grew up around sporting events. I came to appreciate my mom, who was a good golfer. I’d watch football games with my dad. Sports were an outlet and a way of life.’’

Her skills in basketball and the coaching of Trakh took hold quickly, and she was a four-year starter at Brea Olinda High and led the Ladycats to three CIF state titles in four seasons. She went from there to USC, where she got a taste of the bitter side of sports, the Trojans going through three head coaches in her four years.

“I sort of felt cheated at the time,’’ she said.

It also drove home the idea of becoming a coach, which she did at the age of 22, as an assistant for Trakh at Pepperdine. In eight seasons, the Waves went to the postseason six times, and when Trakh moved to USC, Wynn went with her.

“I owe my career to Mark,’’ Jody said. “He was a great coach for me as a player and as an assistant.

“One of the first things he taught me was that you don’t need a rim to practice. All you need is a ball. He’d say, ‘To be great, you have to work at it. You can’t just work at it during practice time. You have to work at it on your own.’ ’’

***

When her coaching career began, she already had a good friend to lean on when it came to life and basketball.

Jody met Derek when she was still in college and he was an assistant at Cal State Northridge. Like Jody, he went right from college to coaching, first at his alma mater, Upland High.

They met, became friends, and then a relationship developed. Their partnership grew when Derek joined Jody as an assistant at Pepperdine.

Love, marriage (2000) and family ensued.

Watching Jody coach the 49ers is better than most reality shows. First, it’s honest as sunrise. She can go from tenderly coaching and cajoling athletes to a fireball who will take a referee’s head off in a five-second span.

She used to have the habit of pounding her foot on to the court, and you truly feared for the courts when she did so. In the Big West title game two seasons ago, a questionable call led Jody to hit the eject button on her emotions and body. She got a T, deserved; she also got the respect of everyone in the building because she didn’t play a bit of the reserve coach role – she said it was a call that cost her team a chance.

Her fiery nature has been part of her persona forever, and it fits here even if her players know she’ll go all den mother on them if necessary. It’s why she has probably been the best hire of the Vic Cegles era, because of the respect she has from everyone in the program.

The whole wife-husband coach thing sounds like an interesting saga, but the truth is they made it work years ago.

“He always challenges my basketball mind,’’ Jody said of Derek. “He’s a basketball junkie, he’s always watching games and always taking notes on games. He’s very knowledgeable as far as defense goes. He has the ability to make game time adjustments and just sees things on the court.

“But it’s not about me and Derek. It’s about helping 18-to-22 year-olds improve and graduate. He’s a mellow, laid back kind of guy. I can’t imagine coaching without him.”

Derek’s style is a balance of fierce nature. He will often write a suggestion down on paper. “He’ll send me a note saying, ‘Here’s an idea. You don’t have to decide now, but let me know what you think,’ ’’ Jody said.

“I think there’s a good balance between us,’’ Derek said. “We’re both intense and we’re both competitive. She’s very emotional and she’s going to say exactly what she feels.

“I think she’s really grown and learned to put her emotions to the side.’’ That said, Derek says the emotional side works to her advantage in other ways.

“Whenever somebody brings her a problem, she’ll bang down any door to solve the problem,’’ he said. “I love her. I love being around her.’’

***

Jody and Derek take care of their family with love and openness, and that’s not just limit to their two daughters.

Wynn took a program with a lot of dysfunction in 2009 and went through the process of weeding through returning players who had lost focus. It’s taken longer than she anticipated and she’s had to deal with an inordinate amount of injuries, but the 2013-14 team is a solid 7-5 and has the flushest recruiting class since she got here, with five true freshmen already improving and providing a base for the future.

“I feel like our players are my daughters,’’ she said. “I feel responsible for them. You’re teaching every day. It’s not just the Xs and Os; you’re guiding young men and teaching problem solving.”

As for her kids, Jada has already exhibited basketball skills. Mom played every sport as a kid, and she wrinkles her nose that so many youth coaches tell her that Jada needs to specialize now. “I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on my 9-year-old,’’ she said.

This issue will without question be discussed quietly at home by the parents. Jada’s biggest asset is having two great coaches for parents, and two adults who have been through the experiences she’s about to encounter.

And all the love that a true family can provide. First Family, family first.

Join the Conversation

We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. Although we do not pre-screen comments, we reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.

If you see comments that you find offensive, please use the “Flag as Inappropriate” feature by hovering over the right side of the post, and pulling down on the arrow that appears. Or, contact our editors by emailing moderator@scng.com.